Hammam al-Alibi is around 30 miles south of Mosul, the last important settlement along the River Tigris before Mosul.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, Isis fighters were informing the town’s residents to hand over any boy aged nine and over.

It is thought the boys were to be forced to fight for the terror group.

On 17 October, a large offensive by coalition of Iraqi military and pro-government militia was launched on the Isis-controlled city of Mosul and the surrounding area.

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, at least 480 Syrian Isis fighters have died during the offensive including more than 300 child soldiers.

The watchdog said: “This will raise the death toll to at least 480 Syrian fighters killed in the ranks of ISIL since the start of the battles in the Mosul area, among them more than 300 child soldiers from the ‘lion cubs of the caliphate.”

Isis has been orcibly moving up to 25,000 people into Mosul to act as human shields against Iraqi coalition forces, an UN spokesperson has said.